Valve bag packing machine



Dec. 1, 1936. w. N. BAKER VALVE BAG PACKING MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR es Baker Y ATTORNEY WHO Dec. 1, 1936. v BAKER 2,062,438

VALVE BAG PACKING momma Filed Aug. 25, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I; r\ I; I2

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I/ 'I 27 I 4 3o I7 INVENTOR I WHO 65 Baker ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES 2,062,438 VALVE BAG PACKING MACHINE Webster Noyes Baker,

Bagpak, Inc., of Delaware Yeadon, New York, N.

Pa., assig'nor to Y., a corporation Application August 25, 1933, Serial No. 686,664

11 Claims.

My present invention relates to an improvement in valve bag filling machines, whereby the filling of valve bags with pulverulent material is greatly expedited and the output of filled bags materially increased.

In particular, my invention comprises means to improve the operation of valve bag filling machines in which the pulverulent material is dumped into a casing within which a continuously rotating impeller operates to force the material through a filling spout into a valve bag. In general, although my invention is illustrated and described in connection with a machine for packing valve bags, its salient features may be incorporated in a machine so designed as to fill barrels or other containers through a filling spout inserted into a bunghole or opening in the container. For convenience, I refute the machine as a valve bag filling machine, meaning thereby a machine for packing pulverulent materials through a filling spout.

I have found that in the operation of previously built machines, a factor of delay is encountered in preventing the escape of dust into the packing room. In packing coarse-grained materials, such as sugar, coffee or even cement, this factor is negligible, but in packing flour, cocoa, or the like, it becomes considerable since the impeller casing must be entirely emptied before the bag can be removed from the spout. For instance, in packing cement eight seconds will ordinarily suffice to completely fill the bag, while the packing of a bag with hydrate of lime requires about twenty seconds. I have found that the charge is almost completely packed in five seconds and only a few handfuls are forced out in the next few seconds. If the material is hydrate of lime, or the like, another ten or twelve seconds is required to remove the few ounces that remain in the casing, since the operator could not remain in the room otherwise. This last bit of material would be discharged in a cloud through the unobstructed spout and render the atmosphere of the room extremely dangerous to life. This amount of material does not detract from the standard weight of the filled container, and it' is only to keep the atmosphere pure that an attempt is made to pack it into the container. Even so, no matter how long the bag is allowed to remain on the spout, some of the material will escape. My invention is designed to allow the packing of the finest of materials in the same length of time that coarser materials require, and prevents the escape of any material into the room.

Another feature of my invention is that it may be provided in each of a battery of machines, thereby increasing the output of such a battery.

Other features and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a battery of two units, certain irrelevant parts being omitted;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in section of a portion of the battery structure;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken through the center of the first machine of the battery of Fig. 1 and looking toward the right;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing a different phase of the operation of my invention.

Fig. 5 is a section of a modified form of my invention, and

Fig. 6 is an elevation thereof.

My invention is adaptable to a filling machine constructed according to the co-pending application of Arno Andreas, Ser. No. 570,331, filed 0ctober 22, 1931. In the aforesaid application the filling spout is provided with a rib which forms a space between the spout and the valve, which allows the escape of air from the bag being filled. Opposite this space is an opening in a suction conduit which draws off any escaping dust. It is not necessary that this construction be followed, 0

since my invention may be incorporated in any filling machine to which a suction conduit has been applied for the advantages fully set forth in the said application. Accordingly, I have illustrated a filling machine provided with a filling spout l0 adapted to receive a bag I I and provided with a conduit l2 leading to a suction pump and settling tank, etc. I have found that the increased eficiency of my invention does not require the type of spout disclosed in the aforementioned application and therefore I provide the conduit l2 with an annular opening l3 around the base of spout. l0, and an inlet l4 through the wall of spout l0 into the conduit I2 which leads upward, This construction is more eificient in preventing escape of dust, allows the escape of air trapped with the material, and does not allow the loss of any appreciable portion of the charge through the suction conduit. The spout l0 extends substantially tangentially from the bottom of an impeller casing l5 into which the material is dumped from a scale bucket or other charge-holding receptacle (not shown) through a hopper [6. A driven shaft I1 extends through the casing and has an im- 55 impeller has three blades, but obviously any number of blades may be employed. As the charge is dumped into the impeller casing, the I blades, which are continuously driven at a high speed, force the material through the spout. Air, trapped with the material, escapes through the opening l4 and does not delay the filling of the bag. Any dust escaping through the valve is drawn off through opening l3.

The last few ounces of material will remain in a cloud within the impeller casing and it is to remove this dust that my invention is utilized. A branch conduit l9 communicates with a valve seat 2|! in the casing, within which a valve 2| is placed. The valve is placed near the top of the casing, a position which was chosen as the result of actual tests showing it to be the best. A crank 22 attached to valve 2| is connected by link 23 to a lever 24 pivoted on rod 25 and operated by handle 26. The opposite end of lever 24 is provided with a lateral arm 21 carrying an adjustable stop screw 28. Rod 25 is supported in lugs 29 on the casing between which is pivoted a clamp 30. The clamp is soformed that it will hold a bag on spout II! when it assumes a vertical position. The clamp is lifted by depression of handle 26.

The operation of my device is as follows. The operator clamps a bag on the spout, this action causing valve 2| to be closed through the connecting linkage'(Fig. 3). The scale bucket is dumped by means of the usual operating lever to discharge the material into the impeller casing. The charge is packed in a few seconds, whereupon the operator depresses handle 26, allowing removal of the bag by raising clamp 30. This action also opens valve 2| simultaneously with the release of the bag. .The blades of the impeller repeatedly form substantially enclosed spaces to which valve 2| is the only outlet. The rapid rotation of the impeller blades creates a substantial pressure within the casing which corresponds to the pressure in a fan-type blower. In the short time that the bag still remains on the spout after clamp36 is released, the cloud of dust in the casing will be shot upward through conduit l9. Some of the dust will tend to go directly outward through spout H), but will be deflected upward through opening M. This last I believe to be due to the increased suction through opening |4 caused by the forced draft eflect'of the air rushing through conduit l9. Regardless of the exact scientific theory involved, I have found that even thoughthe bag remainsonly momentarily on the spout after valve 2| is opened, substantially pure air only will be discharged into the room.

Although it is desirable to install the synchronized valve described above, it is obvious that an independently operated valve will give the same results. Accordingly, Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate a valve operated by a hand wheel 3| keyed to the hub 32 of valve 2|. This type of device is slower to operate but obviously as efiective.

For certain types of material it has been found that the valve 2| neednever be closed, and accordingly the conduit may terminate in a simple vent opening in the upper front quadrant of the casing. Obviously, a valve may be installed as illustrated, but since it remains open, the conduit becomes in efiect a simple vent opening. In the machine illustrated wherein the hopper slopes inward on all sides at the upper rear quadrant of the casing, it has been found that the best operative position for such a vent opening is in are attained when conduit l9 extends radially outward.

In Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, 1 have illustrated the manner in which my valve may be installed in a battery of filling machines. Two machines or units A and B have a common impeller shaft l1 and a common rod 25. A sleeve 40 encloses rod 25, and lever 24 and handle 26 of unit A are fastened to sleeve 40. Dumping rod for the scale bucket of unit B is attached to the other end of sleeve 40. A shorter sleeve 42 surrounds the intermediate portion of sleeve 40 and lever 24 and handle 26 of unit B are fastened to sleeve 42. Dumping rod 43 for the scale bucket of unit A is attached to the opposite end of sleeve 42.

This system of.nested sleeves allows one operator to control the battery in the following manner. A bag is placed on unit A, handle 26 being at this time horizontal and valve 2! closed. The operator then depresses handle 26' which dumps the bucket in unit A through rod 43. The scale bucket is of the automatic type which automatically recloses and receives another precisely weighed charge. A bag is now placed on unit B, and depression of handle 26 dumps the charge in this unit through rod 4|. Clamp 30 and valve 2| are also opened by handle 26 and the filled bag may be removed from unit A. The operations are now repeated, that is, an empty bag is placed on unit A and handle 26' is depressed to dump the bucket in A, release the bag on B andopen valve 2|; and so on.

It will be appreciated that although I have illustrated a two unit battery, I may employ my invention in a battery of any number of machines. The interconnected controls in a four unit battery would be substantially the same, with synchronism between the first .and second units, the second and third units, the third and fourth units, and the fourth and first units. Such a system of controls is shown in the copending application of Arno Andreas, Ser. No. 599,150, filed March 16, 1932. In any battery the conduits l2, l2, etc., would be connected to a single suction pump and tank. The dumping rods 4|, 43, etc. would be so connected to allow the following operation; on the first unit, another bag placed on the second unit and the bucket dumped in the first unit, and so on until a bag is placed on the fourth unit whereupon the first bag will be released. It would not involve more than the work of one skilled in the art to apply my invention to a four unit battery such as disclosed in the aforementioned application, Ser. No. 599,150.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of my invention, other modified forms will be apparent to those skilled in the art and I do not intend to be limited except by the scope of the following claims which are to be broadly construed.

I claim:

1. In a valve bag filling machine having a filling spout, an impeller continuously rotatingin a casing to which said spout communicates, and a suction conduit leading from said casing.

2. In a valve bag filling machine, a rotating impeller, an impeller casing, a filling spout leading from said casing, and a valved suction conduit communicating with said .casing elsewhere than at said spout.

3. In a valve bag filling machine, an impeller, an impeller casing, a filling spout leading from said casing, a suction conduit leading from said casing, a valvein said conduit, and means to operate said valve.

4. In a valve bag filling machine, an impeller, an impeller casing, a filling spout leading from said casing, a suction conduit leading from said casin a valve in said conduit, a clamp cooperating with said spout to hold a bag thereon, and means to release said clamp and open said valve simultaneously.

5. In a valve bag filling machine, an impeller, an impeller casing, a filling spout leading from said casing, a suction conduit open to the atmosphere at the base of said spout and leading upward, said spout having an opening into said conduit, and a valved conduit leading from said casing to said first conduit.

6. In a valve bag filling machine, an impeller, an impeller casing, a filling spout leading from said casing, a suction conduit open to the atmosphere at the base of said spout and leading upward, said spout having an opening into said conduit, 2, second conduit leading from said casing to said first conduit, and a valve in said second conduit.

7. In a valve bag filling machine, an impeller, an impeller casing, a filling spout leading from said casing, a suction conduit open to the atmosphere at the base of said spout and leadingupward, said spout having an opening into said conduit, a second conduit leading from said casing to said first conduit, a valve in said second conduit, a clamp cooperating with said spout to hold a bag thereon, and means to operate said clamp and said valve simultaneously.

8.'In a battery of valve bag filling machines each of which comprises an impeller, an impeller casing, a filling spout, a conduit leading from said casing, a valve in said conduit, a clamp to hold a bag on said spout and a charge-holding receptacle; means to release the clamp and open the valve of one machine simultaneously with the dumping of the charge-holding receptacle of another machine.

9. In a battery of valve bag filling machines each of which comprises an impeller continuously rotating in a casing, a filling spout leading from said casing, a suction conduit leading upward from said spout and having an opening surrounding the base of said spout, said spout having an opening into said conduit, a second conduit communicating with said first conduit and the upper portion of said casing, a valve in said second conduit, a clamp to hold a container on said spout and a charge-holding receptacle; means to release the clamp and open the valve of one machine simultaneously with the'dumping of the charge-holding receptacle of another machine.

10. In a battery of valve bag filling machines each of which comprises an impeller continuously rotating in a casing, a filling spout leading from said casing, a suction conduit leading upward from said spout and having an opening surrounding the base of said spout, said spout having an opening into said conduit, a second conduit communicating with said first conduit and the upper portion of said casing, a valve in said second conduit, a clamp to hold a container on said spout and a charge-holding receptacle; interconnected means to release the clamp and open the valve of one machine simultaneously with the dumping of the charge-holding receptacle of another machine, and a single operating handle for said means.

11. In a valve bag filling machine having a continuously rotating impeller, a casing for said impeller having a feeding hopper located at the upper rear quadrant of said casing and a vent opening in theupper. front quadrant of said casing, and a suction conduit leading radially outward from said opening.

WEBSTER NOYES BAKER. 

